When preparing for the birth of our child, we look through thousands of guides, we read about pregnancy, we listen to the stories told by more experienced moms – all of this to become more familiar with a situation that is totally new to us – a baby coming to this world. Some things we cannot anticipate, but some other we can definitely plan in advance. It is worth considering and discussing with the partner the issues regarding rules to be applied at our home once the baby arrives. Issues regarding sleep, preferred toys, calming methods such as a pacifier, carrying, distribution of responsibilities, etc. should be touched upon even before the baby is born. Thanks to that, once we return home from the hospital we will feel more confident and…

A runny nose occurs often among infants and therefore every parent should know how to stop it. Today we are going to present a couple of devices helping in making little noses free of congestions. [caption id="attachment_1401" align="alignleft" width="319"] NoseFrida[/caption] The most common cause of runny nose in infants is a viral infection. Fortunately, in most cases it is not a symptom of any more severe disease and we can try stopping it using home methods. Nowadays, when modern technologies support us in our efforts, we will be helped by various devices, starting with the simplest ones, descendants of the traditional nasal syringe, and ending with those more complex that will even make it possible to prevent the infection. The most important thing to do in case of runny nose…

It is easy to encounter a situation when a baby cries, a new mom has serious trouble handling it and a third person – for example, her mother or aunt – state firmly: it's a colic. If a baby is crying and we do not know why, it must be colic. What else? However, we have to remember that little babies cry because they are unable to communicate in any other way. They cry when they are hungry or tired, when their diaper is soiled, when something hurts them, when they want to be hugged or when they want their position changed... Crying communicates a certain need or discomfort. Which one? It always takes time for mothers to learn that. It is really hard to establish that at first. However, it…

Children always have a great time at the lake or seaside. Sand, water, sun, mud... what else might one need? That is why such a holiday trip is an excellent idea. However, in order for that trip to be safe, it is a good idea to stock up on a couple of useful gadgets and remember about a few important things. Let us start from the beginning. It is a good idea to supply babies with swim diapers. We can either buy disposable ones available in every larger store, or invest in reusable ones. They will obviously come in handy not only on the beach, but also at the swimming pool. Yes, they are warm enough, but we should remember that a little baby is not yet in full control…

The title of today's post refers to the problematic issue, that is, supplementation of vitamin D. I have been thinking how to touch upon this subject for a while and I think I will just present you with data and guidelines that I was able to find in medical literature. The most important role of vitamin D in a human body is its participation in bone mineralisation. It also regulates absorption of calcium and phosphates from the intestine. Vitamin D insufficiency stimulates the body to produce parathormone (PTH), resulting in release of calcium from bones to the blood and, in consequence, leading to rickets or osteomalacia. What is the difference between these two diseases? The age criterion. Rickets is a children's disease that appears during be period of bone growth.…

It might seem that in the age of modern knowledge and progress in medicine it is obsolete to talk (and write ;)) about the respiratory system hygiene. All in all, the majority of us know that tobacco smoking increases the risk of lung cancer and we know this and that about the hazards related to environment pollution, particularly the pollution of air that we breathe. We also know things about airborne allergens and asthma. However, I would like to make an attempt at systematization of certain information and reminding them once more. Why? Because theoretically we all know this well, but here is what statistical data says: every year 40 thousand Poles die of respiratory system disease complications, 22 thousand people die of lung cancer (every year it is the…

Would you like to improve your child’s diet? Pay attention to the glycaemic index of the food you prepare. It is a simple solution for more healthy and nutritious eating. The glycaemic index indicates how fast the blood glucose level is going to rise after eating a specific product. The basic value on the scale of that index is the rate at which pure glucose is absorbed (100). The index value of other products tells us how fast or slow we absorb the carbohydrates that they contain. For example, the index of strawberries is 25, which means that after eating them the blood glucose is going to rise 75% slower than in case of eating pure glucose with the same amount of carbohydrates. How can we use this knowledge in…

Let’s start with a few questions... Do you have the impression that your doctor should know more about your child in order to be able to treat them efficiently? Do you have problems with booking a medical appointment? Are you overwhelmed by queues, waiting, stress and the cost of every single visit? Would you like to always have available the history of all the diseases that your child went through, together with the list of medicines applied, so that every doctor with whom you consult the health of your child has access to such information? Are you afraid of your child being exposed to another infection during a visit at the outpatient clinic or at the hospital? Do you think that a doctor should take into account all the health…

Today I would like to touch upon the issue of two diseases typical for childhood with which many of us, parents, may come across if our children are often in groups with other children (like in nurseries and kindergartens). I’m going to write a few words on their causes and symptoms and on how to treat an infected child properly. Let’s start with the three-day fever, which is also called exanthema subitum or the sixth disease. It is a viral disease that usually infects children aged 1-3. After the age of 4 the incidence decreases and the cases that occur are rather rare. As the name itself suggests, the first and main symptom of this disease is fever, often reaching up to 40°C and taking three days. Afterwards there appears…

A school year begins and together with it there comes the matter of lunch that is either prepared at home or bought at school. I decided to review the ingredients of popular snacks that are advertised as excellent for satiating hunger, healthy, nutritious and perfect for our kids. Let’s start with cookies that are marketed by its producer as a “breakfast”. Their packaging includes information on how to start a day in a healthy manner and how to make the most important meal (that is, breakfast) properly balanced. The list of ingredients is relatively long. What do we have here? In the order provided by the producer - let’s remember that this order corresponds to the percentage content of each ingredient in a finished product, starting with the highest one:…